Lisa Sharp

• BSN, MA, PhD
• Professor at University of Illinois Chicago

Purpose Overuse of opioids has been associated with a significant public health crisis, yet remain critical as adjunctive treatment in multiple myeloma (MM). Questions remain about the balance between the benefits to risks of ongoing opioid use, especially when the patient’s myeloma is in remission. This retrospective review focuses on the associat...

Aims: We developed a prediction model for elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) at risk for diabetes to identify important factors that may influence follow-up patient care. Methods: Retrospective electronic health records data among patients screened for diabetes at the ED in May 2021 was used....

Objective: While the American Diabetes Association (ADA) screening guidelines have been used widely, the way they are implemented and adapted to a particular setting can impact their practical application and usage. Our primary objective was to validate a best practice advisory (BPA) screening algorithm informed by the ADA guidelines to identify pa...

Introduction: Cannabis use among cancer patients is increasing, supported by studies demonstrating its efficacy in alleviating cancer- and treatment-related symptoms such as pain and nausea, while offering a reduced risk of developing physiological dependence compared to opioid options. Despite this, provider implicit bias and lack of knowledge, ab...

Background: Pain is one of the most frequent and distressing symptoms in multiple myeloma (MM). Opioids are the gold standard in the management of moderate to severe pain; however, overuse has been associated with a significant public health crisis. High rates of opioid use independent of bony disease have been reported, with a negative impact of c...

Background and objectives: Care Recipient Self-Perceived Burden (CR-SPB) to Caregivers is an important but overlooked aspect within the caregiver-care recipient relationship. This study aimed to 1) develop and validate the CARE-2B (Care Recipient's Two Burden) Scale, assessing both CR-SPB and their proxy assessment of caregiver burden (Proxy-CB);...

Acute Psychological Stress Detection Using Abstract: Acute psychological stress (APS) is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon that affects metabolism, necessitating real-time detection and interventions to mitigate its effects on glycemia in people with type 1 diabetes. This study investigates the detection of APS using physiological variables m...

e24078 Background: Effective pain management in cancer care is crucial for patient quality of life. Shared decision-making (SDM) interventions are increasingly recognized for their potential to improve patient outcomes by facilitating patient engagement in care decisions. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the impact of SDM intervention...

Purpose Caregiver burden (CB) is typically self-assessed by caregivers. However, an emerging concept is assessment of CB by the recipients of care, i.e., the patient. The specific objectives are (1) to assess the level of agreement between care recipients’ and caregivers’ view on CB, across financial, physical, emotional, and social domains; (2) to...

Objectives While factors contributing to dental antibiotic overprescribing have previously been described, previous work has lacked any theoretical behavior change framework that could guide future intervention development. The purpose of this study was to use an evidence‐based conceptual model to identify barriers and facilitators of appropriate a...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Although the overall incidence of CRC has been decreasing over the past 40 y, early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), which is defined as a CRC diagnosis in patients aged >50 y has increased. In this Perspective, we highlight and summarize the association between diet quality and exc...

Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is defined as a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) in individuals younger than 50 years of age. While overall CRC rates in the United States (US) decreased between 2001 and 2018, EOCRC rates have increased. This research project aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Time-Restricted Eating (TRE...

Background Black women experience a higher prevalence of poor asthma outcomes and physical inactivity than their White counterparts. Black women comprise a particularly vulnerable group of patients with asthma, with some of the highest rates of asthma in adults, high health care use (emergency department visits and hospitalizations), and the highes...

Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is defined as a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) in individuals younger than 50 years of age. While overall CRC rates in the United States (US) decreased between 2001 and 2018, EOCRC rates have increased. This research project aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Time-Restricted Eating (TRE...

BACKGROUND Black women experience a higher prevalence of poor asthma outcomes and physical inactivity than their White counterparts. Black women comprise a particularly vulnerable group of patients with asthma, with some of the highest rates of asthma in adults, high health care use (emergency department visits and hospitalizations), and the highes...

Introduction Treatment advances for hematologic malignancies (HM) have dramatically improved life expectancy, necessitating greater focus on long-term cancer pain management. This study explored real-world patterns of opioid use among patients with HM. Methods This retrospective cohort study identified adults diagnosed with HM from January 1, 2013...

Introduction The Oncotype Dx Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) is a 17‐gene relative expression assay that predicts adverse pathology at prostatectomy. We conducted a novel randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of GPS on urologist's treatment preference for favorable risk prostate cancer (PCa): active surveillance versus active treatment (i.e...

Importance Clinical pharmacists and health coaches using mobile health (mHealth) tools, such as telehealth and text messaging, may improve blood glucose levels in African American and Latinx populations with type 2 diabetes. Objective To determine whether clinical pharmacists and health coaches using mHealth tools can improve hemoglobin A 1c (HbA...

Objectives: Dentists prescribe 10% of all outpatient antibiotics in the United States and are the top specialty prescriber. Data on current antibiotic prescribing trends are scarce. Therefore, we evaluated trends in antibiotic prescribing rates by dentists, and we further assessed whether these trends differed by agent, specialty, and by patient c...

Introduction: Low health literacy (HL) is consistently associated with worse health outcomes. Routine clinical screening with available instruments is impractical because of added time and effort. Prior findings suggested that signature time may be a reliable alternative measure of HL among general medicine patients. Methods: Our aim was to asse...

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to compare opioid prescribing and high-risk prescribing by race and ethnicity in a national cohort of U.S. veterans. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of veteran characteristics and healthcare use was performed on electronic health record data for 2018 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) users and en...

Purpose Opioids are essential for treating pain in hematologic malignancies (HM), yet are heavily stigmatized in the era of the opioid epidemic. Stigma and negative attitudes towards opioids may contribute to poorly managed cancer pain. We aimed to understand patient attitudes towards opioids for HM pain management, particularly among historically...

Objective: We explored the relationship between the Sleep Hygiene Practices Scale (SHPS) and sleep quality and sleep-related impairment in Black and Latinx adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Forty Black and Latinx adults with T2DM participated. Self-reported measures include the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Patient Reported Ou...

Wearable sensor data can be integrated and interpreted to improve the treatment of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, by enabling adjustments in treatment decisions based on physical activity and psychological stress assessments. The challenges in using biological analytes to frequently detect physical activity (PA) and acute psychological stres...

Background. The self-perceived burden is a patient-centred construct that refers to the perceived impact of the care recipient’s illness and care needs on the physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being of their caregiver(s). The self-perceived burden may negatively impact the care recipient’s quality of life and sense of dignity. It may...

Overuse of opioid analgesics has been associated with a significant public health crisis, but at the same time, these medications are critical as an adjunctive treatment for bone pain in multiple myeloma (MM). Despite this, opioid use patterns in MM have not been well studied. Given the prolonged survival after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT...

Background Eligibility assessment of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a complex yet vital component of pre-transplant evaluation. Psychosocial assessment tools have been modeled after those completed in solid organ transplantation but no studies have validated these tools in this po...

Background African Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes, compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the USA. Poor adherence to diabetes medications is common among African Americans and contributes to these disproportionally worse outcomes. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-support...

Although spirometry is a simple, portable test and recommended for the diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is not routinely used in the primary care setting. Minorities and underserved populations are less likely to have spirometry assessment, leading to both over and misdiagnosis of asthma and COPD. Because dys...

Background: Type 2 diabetes (TD2) is strongly associated with cognitive impairment. Decreased cognitive function could affect daily self-management behaviors critical for people with TD2. Executive function is significant for daily self-management and decreased subjective cognitive function could be an early indicator of poor daily self-management...

The United States (US) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest integrated health care system in the US and provides dental care to approximately one half million Veterans annually. In response to the opioid crisis, the VA released several opioid risk mitigation strategies. While opioid prescribing by VA dentists have decreased on the who...

Objectives Opioids are overprescribed in the outpatient dental setting. As such, opportunities exist for opioid stewardship. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of an academic detailing intervention to promote appropriate prescribing of opioids in outpatient dentistry. Methods We implemented an academic detailing interventi...

Background Dentists in the United States frequently prescribe opioids for dental-related pain, although evidence shows superior efficacy of nonopioids for pain management. A national sample of US dentists was interviewed to understand the barriers and facilitators to opioid prescribing. Methods Semistructured one-on-one telephone interviews were c...

Objective To understand barriers and facilitators to evidence-based prescribing of antibiotics in the outpatient dental setting. Design Semistructured interviews. Setting Outpatient dental setting. Participants Dentists from 40 Veterans’ Health Administration (VA) facilities across the United States. Methods Dentists were identified based on th...

Introduction In the United States, dentists frequently prescribe hydrocodone. In October 2014, the US Drug Enforcement Administration rescheduled hydrocodone from controlled substance schedule III to II, introducing more restricted prescribing and dispensing regulations, which may have changed dental prescribing of opioids. Objective The study aim...

Objective This study examined whether stressful life events were associated with weight loss, central adiposity, and health behavior changes of African American breast cancer survivors (AABCS) participating in a weight loss intervention.Methods We conducted a secondary-data analyses of Moving Forward, a weight loss efficacy trial for AABCS conducte...

Background National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend regular physical activity (PA) for patients with asthma. Health care provider (HCP) counseling represents an effective approach to optimizing patient PA. However, current exercise rates among asthma patients are suboptimal, which suggests that counseling may be improved. Obj...

Introduction Transgender veterans have a high prevalence of substance use disorder and physical and mental-health comorbidities, which are associated with prescription opioid use and overdose risk. This study compares receipt of outpatient opioids, high-risk opioid prescribing, and opioid poisoning between transgender and cisgender (i.e., nontransg...

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore self-regulation skills with real-time activity and glucose monitoring among Black women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: A small acceptability trial was conducted using technology (continuous glucose monitors and Fitbit) to facilitate core behaviors associated with self-regulation (self-monit...

Introduction Evidence suggests that U.S. dentists prescribe opioids excessively. There are limited national data on recent trends in opioid prescriptions by U.S. dentists. In this study, we examined trends in opioid prescribing by general dentists and dental specialists in the U.S. from 2012 to 2019. Methods Dispensed prescriptions for oral opioid...

Although nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs are superior to opioids in dental pain management, opioids are still prescribed for dental pain in the United States. Little is known about the serious adverse outcomes of short-acting opioids within the context of dental prescribing. The objective of this study was to evaluate adverse outcomes and pers...

Background African Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes, compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Poor adherence to diabetes medications is common among African Americans and contributes to these disproportionally worse outcomes. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a pe...

Opioid analgesics are used to treat cancer-related pain and improve quality of life, however overuse of these high-risk drugs has been associated with significant public health implications as exhibited by the national attention received during the opioid pandemic. In addition, pain associated with hematologic malignancies is frequent yet not well...

This study examined the associations between worries associated with COVID-19, diabetes-specific distress, and depressive symptoms in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and its psychological impacts. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 84 older adults with T2D from June to December 20...

Background Anticoagulation with warfarin represents a transportation-sensitive treatment state. Transportation barrier is a common reason for not using health care services. Objective To assess the association between transportation barriers to anticoagulation clinic and anticoagulation control (AC) among an inner-city, low-income population. Pat...

Background: Over half of US adults have at least one chronic disease, including obesity. Although physical activity is an important component of chronic disease self-management, few reach the recommended physical activity goals. Individuals who identify as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by chronic diseases and physical...

BACKGROUND Over half of adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease including obesity. Although physical activity is an important component of chronic disease self-management, few reach the recommended goals for physical activity. Individuals who identify as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally impacted by chronic di...

Background: African American (AA) women are disproportionately impacted by both physical inactivity and asthma. Lifestyle physical activity (PA) interventions targeted for AA women with asthma are lacking. Objective: Assess the feasibility/acceptability and preliminary effects of a lifestyle PA intervention culturally-tailored for AA women with...

Long-term adherence to medications is not well understood and poses a significant challenge for many chronically ill persons. Past research provides insights on adherence in short durations such as a day or several weeks, even though chronically ill patients are required to take medications for periods as long as a lifetime. To fill this important...

Background and purpose This paper describes the context and experiences of a workshop to raise knowledge and awareness of a college of pharmacy's faculty and staff about microaggressive behaviors and implicit biases. The workshop was intended to provide a non-threatening, interactive, and informative professional development program to demonstrate...

PURPOSE Treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has improved survival but is associated with significant financial burden. We measured the annual trend in TKI utilization, Medicare gross payment, and patient out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure from 2007 to 2016. METHODS We used SEER linked to Medicare par...

PURPOSE The Genomic Prostate Score (GPS), performed on biopsy tissue, predicts adverse outcome in prostate cancer (PCa) and has shown promise for improving patient selection for active surveillance (AS). However, its impact on treatment choice in high-risk populations of African Americans is largely unknown and, in general, the effect of the GPS on...

Background Educational outreach programs that focus on safe opioid prescribing and awareness of state prescription monitoring programs may modify clinicians’ prescribing behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the secondary effects of an opioid-focused academic detailing (AD) program on non-opioid controlled substance prescribing in p...

Background Aggressive management of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol through medication and lifestyle adherence is necessary to minimize the adverse health outcomes of type 2 diabetes. However, numerous psychosocial and environmental barriers to adherence prevent low-income, urban, and ethnic minority populations from achieving their...

Consumer-based physical activity (PA) trackers, also known as wearables, are increasingly being used in research studies as intervention or measurement tools. One of the most popular and widely used brands of PA trackers is Fitbit. Since the release of the first Fitbit in 2009, hundreds of experimental studies have used Fitbit devices to facilitate...

Introduction The objective of this study is to identify county-level characteristics that may be high-impact targets for opioid and antibiotic interventions to improve dental prescribing. Methods Prescriptions during 2012–2017 were extracted from the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription database. Primary outcomes were yearly county-level antibiotic and...

Background For patients that face barriers to filling their prescriptions, the availability of medication access services at their site of care can mean the difference between receiving prescribed drug therapy, and undue interruptions in care. Hospitals often provide medication access services that are not reimbursed by payers; however, they can be...

Background Data suggest dental antibiotic prescribing is increasing with relatively less documented about prescribing trends in adults and children. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate trends in antibiotic prescribing by US dentists from 2012–2017. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of US dental prescribing using IQVIA Longitudinal Prescripti...

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the leading cause of advanced liver disease, has enormous economic burden. Identification of patients at risk of treatment failure could lead to interventions that improve cure rates. Objectives: Our goal was to develop and evaluate a prediction model for HCV treatment failure. Methods: We analyzed HCV patient...

UNSTRUCTURED Consumer-based physical activity (PA) trackers are increasingly being used for research scientific purposes. One of the most widely used commercial PA trackers for research is Fitbit. Some interventional studies aim to improve participants’ PA levels and health outcomes through daily self-monitoring of PA measures, goal setting, and ot...

African Americans report higher rates of chronic stress compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Consequently, chronic stress contributes to disproportionately higher rates of poor health outcomes among African Americans. Mindfulness meditation is a well-established and studied strategy to reduce stress and potentially improve health outcomes. However, t...

Study objectives: Text messaging (TM) may provide an inexpensive and convenient method for self-report sleep assessment. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of a TM sleep diary among a racial/ethnic minority population with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. Methods: A convenience sample of 40 participants with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes was...

Objective: Self-reported behavior change is used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational outreach interventions delivered to clinicians, such as academic detailing (AD). However, self-reported changes in behavior are often not corroborated with data on actual behavior change. To assess alignment between self-reported practice change intention...

Purpose To examine the impact of pre-diagnosis depressive symptoms and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) on survival among older patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey data resource. Patients aged 65 yea...

PurposePatient-reported outcomes such as self-reported health (SRH) are important in understanding quality cancer care, yet little is known about links between SRH and outcomes in older patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We evaluated associations between SRH and mortality among older patients with MM.Methods We analyzed a retrospective cohort of...

Background Understanding barriers to safe opioid prescribing in primary care is critical amid the epidemic of prescription opioid abuse, misuse, and overdose in the US. Educational outreach strategies, such as academic detailing (AD), provide a forum for identification of barriers to, and strategies to facilitate, safe opioid prescribing in primary...

African Americans (AAs) with diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes-related complications and have the highest diabetes-related mortality rates, than all other racial/ethnic groups. These health disparities are primarily due to poor medication adherence (defined as not taking medications as prescribed). AAs have substantially lower adherence...

The effects of acute psychological stress, heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of autonomic function and glycemic variability (GV) have not been extensively researched in type 1 diabetes (T1D). The aim of this study is to explore the effect of acute psychosocial stress on HRV and GV in people with T1D. Methods: Eleven participants with T1D (...

p>Background. African-American Breast Cancer survivors (AABCS) report long-term challenges with weight gain, symptom burden, fatigue and overall physical and mental quality of life (QOL) following breast cancer treatment. Lifestyle interventions supporting weight loss, improved diet and physical activity patterns document reduced symptom burden and...

Background: For African American (AA) women in the US, breast cancer (BC) is the leading cancer diagnosis and the second leading cause of cancer death. The rising prevalence of obesity and related comorbidities are important contributors to widening racial disparities in BC outcomes. 82% of AA women are obese or overweight, compared to 64% of Non-H...

Background: Understanding patients' beliefs about their role communicating in medical visits is an important pre-requisite to encourage patients' use of active participatory communication, and these beliefs may be particularly relevant for patients with diabetes. Methods: Focus groups were conducted to examine patients with diabetes view of thei...